Gary’s Adventure
Intro d uctio n.m4a
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C5YBkJeVOI
Written by Sarah Lin
Words check: 3635 Words in Oxford 3000TM=100%
Prologue Gary is a stuffed animal doll, he used to be in Paul Banker’s gift shop. One day, a lady, Aunt Helene came to the shop and bought Gary, she then gave it to her niece, Alexis, as a Christmas gift. Alexis decided to take it with her on her trip to China. They met different people from the trip. Alexis decided to give Gary to the new people she met. They made a deal that the person whoever gets Gary should take it to another country as they travel and give it to the next traveler. This story is an adventure of the world from the point of view of Gary.
About the author My name is Sarah Lin. I study in Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages. I love traveling and I’ve been to Indonesia, Canada and China. I’ve stayed in China for half year as an exchange student. After studying there for a semester, I went to travel around China. It is definitely a trip that opened my mind and which I’ll never forget. I met a lot of foreign friends while I was traveling. It is always nice to meet new people on the trip. The best thing I like about it is that you can hear all the stories they had from their previous travel
experience. I also have a toy monkey which my friend gave it for my birthday while she was traveling in Australia. I cherish it very much and bring it with me every time I go travel. These are the reasons that inspired me to write this story.
Contents Chapter One………………………………………………….7 Chapter Two………………………………………………….12 Chapter Three……………………………………………….16 Chapter Four………………………………………………..20 Chapter Five………………………………………………..17 Chapter Six…………………………………………………..33
Chap ter 1.m4a
Chapter One
Paul Banker’s Gift Shop My name is Gary. I am a stuffed animal in Paul Banker’s gift shop. Mr. Banker, the owner of the shop, is a man of fifty, with something of a paunch. He has a brilliant smile that cheers people up. His delicate hands make hundreds of beautiful gift packs every day. I sit at the shop window, watching people passing by from day to night. My favorite season is summer. I always like it when Mr. Banker raises the curtain in the morning and let the sun in. I
can always feel this warm sunshine sprinkling on me. It’s usually raining in fall. When it is a rainy day, I can sometimes feel the chilly wind coming through the door when people come in. People are always carrying umbrellas or wearing raincoat, but I always wonder how it feels like to be in the rain. Winter is the busiest period in the shop. People are always coming in for Christmas or New Year shopping. Mr. Banker seems to enjoy the busy season quite a lot. Still I sit at the same old place, looking at children playing happily in the snow, wondering how it feels like
to be hit by a snowball. It is Christmas Eve, Mr. Banker came in earlier than usual today to sweep the floor and arrange all the gifts. It was quite early when the first customer came in. “Merry Christmas!” said Mr. Banker, “may I help you?” “Yes, please,” said the lady, “I’m looking for a gift for my niece.” ”Oh, I am sure she’ll love a stuffed animal, little girls can never have enough of them.” “There’s some on the shelf and some at the window” Mr. Banker pointed. “Well, she is not that little anymore” smiled the woman, “but yes, I do think
she can have one or two more of them.” She walks to the window, running her eyes all over, suddenly, she picked me up. “This! This one will suit perfectly.” She walks to the counter. “Have you found a suitable one?” said Mr. Banker. “Oh yes, yes indeed I had” hanging me to Mr. Banker, “Could you please wrap it up for me?” “Sure!” Mr. Banker took me over and whispered, ”It is your lucky day, Gary.” He placed me in a little box which fits just right, with his exquisite hands, the box turned into a pink package with a bow on top in just a second.
“Beautiful! I am sure she’ll love it. Thank you very much!” “No problem, have a nice day and Merry Christmas!” said Mr. Banker.
Chap ter2.m4a
Chapter Two
Meet Alexis Ding Dong! “Go answer the door, Alexis, it must your Aunt Helene.” Alexis ran to the door immediately, she knew that Aunt Helene must have something special for her this Christmas, she always does. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart!” “Merry Christmas, Aunt Helene.” Alexis hugged and kissed her on the cheek. As they walk to the living room, Helene shouted out to the kitchen, ”Smells amazing, Louise! ” “Such a pity I can’t cook like your mom, that is why I come
here all the time.” She said to Alexis then laughed. They sat down on the couch. “So, tell me about this traveling thing you are planning about.” said Aunt Helene. “Well, it’s going fine. Mari, my best friend, and I are planning to go to Hong Kong than to Beijing.” “We are only going to stay in Hong Kong for a day since we’re just going to transfer from there,” “but we’re both really exciting about going to Beijing! I’ve always wanted to go see the Chinese monuments with my own eyes. They seem so fascinating in books! Chinese history is the only class we are both
interested in at school.” Aunt Helene touched Alexis’s head, “Good to see my little girl being interested in history, especially Chinese ones that I used to get terrible grades.” They both laughed. “Anyway, I got you a gift! Go on and open it!” Alexis took over the pink box with excitement and joy all over her face. She opened it violently without any doubt. Lying in the box was a flurry monkey doll with a name tag on its feet saying ”Gary.” It was the size of an adult’s fist. “Oh wow, a stuffed animal,” picking up the doll,” It’s really cute, but isn’t it a bit too cute for me? I
am 18 now you know.” Alexis had an awkward smile on her face. “Well I am sure you can make good use of it.” Aunt Helene winked at her. “Why not take it with you on the trip? I’m sure it’ll bring you special memories.” “Alexis, could you please set up for the table for me?” Alexis’s mom is calling from the kitchen. “Come on, let’s do it together.” Aunt Helene patted on Alexis’s shoulder.
Chap ter3.m4a
Chapter Three Starts of the Trip
Few days after Christmas, Mari and Alexis were talking on the phone. “So have you done packing?” asked Mari. “Not quite,” said Alexis, “I still need some clothes since it is going to be cold in Beijing. Make sure you have enough clothes to keep you warm!” “Funny how the weather in Hong Kong is so much different from that in Beijing. Can you imagine us wearing t-shirts in Hong Kong but big coats in Beijing?” “That is definitely the reason why it is so hard to pack!
Anyway, I have to go now. See you tomorrow at the airport at eight. And don’t be late!” “See you!” Alexis hangs up the phone. She suddenly saw this monkey doll lying next to the mess on the bed. She picked it up, twisted the name tag and said” Gary, let’s take you on an adventure, shall we?” She got a thin linen thread, tied it with the name tag and made it into a hanging ornament. She then hung it on her backpack. “You’ll travel with me and see the world from here, Gary.” Next morning, Alexis and Mari meet up at
the airport, both of their family came alone. Aunt Helene rushed to the lobby, “Oh good I didn’t miss you. Sorry for being late honey.” She tried to catch a breath. “I see you hanging the doll! That’s a brilliant idea! Make sure you show him the world Alexis.” “I sure will, Aunt Helene.” said Alexis.
“Attention please, passengers for
flight ZX402, San Francisco to Hong Kong, please go to gate 11.”
“It’s us!” said Mari. They said
goodbye to their families. “Had a nice trip!” said Aunt Helene.
Chap ter4-1.m4a
Chapter Four Hong Kong
(Gary’s view) “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are going to land in no time, please be seated and fasten your seatbelts.” I could not be happier to hear that, I have been in the overhead compartment for ages. I couldn’t stay any longer! We finally arrive in Hong Kong. The weather here is so much different from back home. It is not cold and wet anymore, I can feel the hot sunshine shinning on me directly. For the first time, I am not just in the store or inside the
house anymore! I am in public, even in another country!
“We should get to our hostel first.” said Mari. Alexis looking at her guidebook, “Yes, let’s go to the bus stop over there, I think we should take bus A43.” They were waiting at the bus stop. A young and tall man came to them and asked, “Excuse me, is A43 the bus going to downtown?” “Yes, it is.” said Alexis. “Thanks you. By the way, my name is Tony.” “Hey, this is Mari and I’m Alexis. Are you traveling too?” “Yes, I am visiting
my brother, he works for an export company here. I came here quite regularly.” Mari gave Alexis this look and whispered, “He is cute, isn’t he, with a charming British accent.” She turned to Tony, “We’re only going to stay here for a day, where do you suggest us to go?” “Well, you girls will definitely enjoy shopping at the Central for sure. During the evening would be great to see the sunset from the harbor. At night you should go to Lan Kwai Fong, it is a bar street near central.” “Sounds interesting.” said Alexis. “In fact, my brother and I are going to the bar street
later tonight, would you girls like to join us?” “Yeah sure! Why not?” answered Mari quickly. “Mari! What are you doing? We don’t even know this man.” Alexis lowers her voice trying not to let Tony hear her. “Oh come on Alexis! We can get to know him tonight! I’m sure it’ll be fun.” They exchanged phone number. “So I guess I’ll see you girls later?” “Sure, see you!”
Chap ter4-2.m4a
(Gary) I’m not sure about this Tony, whether he is a nice person or is he trying to trick these girls. Anyway they set a time and decided to
meet at nine p.m. tonight. Right now we are on the way to the hostel. It’s interesting to see all the people on the street. It’s quite an international town, you can see people from all around the world here. Alexis read from the book that Hong Kong is one of the most important trading port in the world, maybe that’s why so many people are doing business here. The streets are kind of narrow, Hong Kong is a small place you know. The bus goes up and down quite a lot because Hong Kong is a small island and the streets were built along with the
hills. After arriving at the hostel and unloading our luggage. Alexis and Mari decided to go outside and walk around. They live just near the famous Victoria Harbor so it shouldn’t be hard to find. Luckily for me, Alexis took her backpack with her so I can keep on discovering the city. They spent most of the afternoon shopping and wondering around the streets. I’ve never seen so many signs on the road. Each of them bigger and brighter than another one, it’s like a competition.
The shopping districts are always packed. There are mostly Chinese people. They are talking so loud all the time and they usually come in groups. Mari said that the prices are much cheaper in Hong Kong because of the tax, so people from China like to come shopping during the weekend. The girls didn’t buy much stuff. Me, myself,
had a good time looking around city and how the locals are. People are always doing things so fast and efficient. Hong Kong is definitely a fast speed city. We are heading to the harbor now, it is about five p.m., so if we get there on time we might catch the chance to see the sunset.
Chap ter 4 Last.m4a
The harbor was just a few
subway station and several minutes walk from
the shopping district. We walked along the side and see all the fisherman ships mooring by the harbor. Sometimes we can even see the huge trading ships coming in from far away.
After dinner, it’s about time to meet Tony
and his brother. We went to this small Canadian bar which actually has no Canadians but lots of locals there. The girls had a good time chatting with the boys. Sharing about their traveling experience and listen to Tony’s brother talking about his job. “Cool monkey you got there, Alexis.” said Tony squeezing the hanging ornament in his hand. “It is just a normal stuffed animal my aunt gave it to me, she asked me to show it the world, not sure how I am going to do it though.” “You should give it to the next traveler! You must
meet new people while you travel, like how you met me.” “You should give it to someone who’s going to another country and ask the person to do the same thing!” “That’s a great idea, Tony!” said Alexis.
(Gary) Hong Kong is a great new experience for me. I won’t forget the hot sunshine and the salty smell from the harbor. Beside the tall buildings and the busy people on the street, Hong Kong always surprise me with a little pretty garden or even a small basketball field in the
middle of the business district. It is just a place you can always find something new at the next corner.
Chap ter5-1.m4a
Chapter Five Beijing
We arrived in Beijing at night. It was freezing, but it wasn’t snowing. There is not many people on the street, all the trees on the sidewalk look bold and sad. The sky’s a bit grey and the roads are dark. The atmosphere is making me a bit nervous and not feeling welcomed. We arrived at the hostel. The owner redecorated the old apartment into these small rooms which are quite comfy. The next morning the girls decided to get up
early in the morning to see the ceremony of raising flag. I was not surprise that they slept over, so they were running all the way on the cold street before sunrise. We got there in time but, unfortunately, there were already a lot a people so we couldn’t really see the flag going up. Still, it is fascinating to see all the police in uniforms standing all around the blocks. Beijing is quite a secure place since it is the capital of China. You can see polices everywhere. Alexis said some polices are not wearing uniforms and hiding in the public to watch the people. I enjoy
the unique culture but the atmosphere feels really serious at the same time. After the ceremony, we went to the Forbidden City. Alexis and Mari are obviously extremely excited since they have been looking forward to this since the beginning of their trip. I also cannot wait to see the “Chinese castle� too. It is so huge that it is not only a palace but as its name, more like a city. It has its own moat, lake, bridges and gardens. Each house has a different purpose. The emperor has a house where he used to sit and listen to the chancellor
and rule the country. A living room where he eats and talks to his queen and a private room for sleeping.
As the girls were looking at the postcards at the gift shop, a group of guys came in, talking and laughing. “Don’t’ you think they took
familiarly?” said Mari. “Are they the French who’re staying next to us in the hostel?” Alexis looked and listened to them for a while, “Might be, but you know, I don’t really pay attention to guys like you do.” “Oh, come on! You know I study French, I’m interested because I heard them speaking.”
Chap ter5-2.m4a
One of the guys was
trying to talk to the clerk at the counter, but the clerk didn’t understand English. Alexis walked over and asked, “Do you need any help? I can speak some simple Chinese, maybe I can talk to
her.” “Yes, please,” said the man, ”Could you please help me ask her if they have the maps of the Forbidden City?” “Not sure if I can do it, but I’ll try.” After a few minutes of explaining with Alexis’s little Chinese and lots of body languages, the clerk finally understood and gave them a map. “Thanks a lot!” said the man, “Say, where did you learn Chinese?” “I took a course in school, so far only for one semester so I’m not that good yet. Glad my poor Chinese still helped you out.” Mari then came over and said, “Excuse me, but
are you and your friends staying at the Qianmen Hostel?” “Yes, we are! Are you the two American girls staying next to us?” “I supposed we are!” Mari turned to Alexis and made a funny face. “Cool, anyway we got to go, I’ll see you around at the hostel!” They said goodbye.
After a long day of walking, the girls
returned the hostel late. They saw the French guys talking and laughing at the bar area. “Hey! American girls! I don’t know your names yet.” said the guy whom Alexis helped earlier. “Bonjour! Je m’appelle Mari! That’s all I can say.” laughed Mari. “That’s actually pretty good! Je m’apelle Marcel. How about you?” he looked at Alexis. “I’m Alexis, I can only speak Chinese but no French.” “I would love to learn Chinese,” said Marcel, “these are my friends, Alfred, Edward and James.” They shake hands with one another. “So, what are you girls planning to do tomorrow?”
asked James. “We’re going to the Great Wall!” said Mari. “We were just talking about it, mind if we join you?” said Edward. “Sure! The more the merrier.” “It seems like we have to take a 2 hour train to get there, better start off early.” said Alfred flipping over his tour books. “Then we shall call it a night shall we? Goodnight girls, we’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Marcel stood up and threw away the empty beer can.
Chap ter 5last.m4a
(Gary) The next morning
we left the hostel early after breakfast and arrived at the Great Wall around 11 a.m. The
train trip was longer than I expected but still it was quite nice to see all the scenery on the way. The only thing that bothers me is that why are all the Chinese people rushing and running to the platform while the train came. Maybe because there are so many people all the time and they’re afraid they couldn’t get a seat. There are actually many different parts of the Great Wall, but we chose the most popular one, we heard it’s the easiest one to climb. It was quite easy from the start then it gets more and more cliffy and the stairs are higher and
higher. Eventually, we all stopped and rest in the middle of the way. This is the first time for me standing in such a high place and looking down. The view from the top was breath-taking. All the walls along the hills make it look like a dragon lying on the hills.
Suddenly I saw this man with walking sticks
climbing the Great Wall! That is amazing! Even energetic teenagers like Mari and Alexis had a hard time coming up, the guy is actually walking all the stairs with walking sticks! The girls immediately saw him and went over to talk to him. “What you are doing is incredible, sir!” “Thanks, I had a car accident few weeks ago, but I have been planning for this trip for months, didn’t want to disturb the original plan.” “But I’m too tired now, I don’t think I’ll continue going to the top, you girls help me enjoy the view,” “We will for sure!” said Alexis.
“Where is your next stop sir?” “In fact this is my last stop in China, I’m leaving tomorrow to Thailand.” “Really? Well, this might seem weird, but I have this idea of showing this monkey around the world.” Alexis took me down from her backpack. ”Could you do me a favor to take it with you while you travel? And give it to the next traveler you met that’s going to another country?” “That sounds exciting, sure I can do that. Thanks for the gift young girl. Enjoy the rest of your trip, China is a beautiful country full of culture indeed.”
Chap ter6.m4a
Chapter Six
Gary’s upcoming Adventure I was sad when I left Alexis and Mari. Everything happened so fast and now I’m already on the flight to Thailand! The man whom I am traveling with now is called Peter. Although he is carrying a walking stick, he is a very lively and adventurous man. I overheard his plan of riding an elephant and camping at the beautiful beach of Phuket Island. I cannot wait to arrive at the exotic and beautiful capital of Thailand, Bangkok. I don’t know who Peter might meet and give me
to the next person during this trip, but I am sure I will always enjoy every adventure.
Gary is a stuffed animal doll, he used to be in Paul Banker’s gift shop. One day, a lady, Aunt Helene came to the shop and bought Gary, she then gave it to her niece, Alexis, as a Christmas gift. Alexis decided to take it with her on her trip to China. They met different people from the trip. Alexis decided to give Gary to the new people she met. They made a deal that the person whoever gets Gary should take it to another country as they travel and give it to the next traveler. This story is an adventure of the world from the point of view of Gary.